Good afternoon.

For the record, my name is Gabriela Caletta Zapata, District One Counselor, and I'm the chair of the Boston City Council Committee on Government Operations.

Today is September twenty first, twenty twenty six.gov forward slash city dash council dash TV and broadcast on Xfinity Channel Eight, RCN Channel Eighty Two, and Files Channel Nine Six Four.

Written comments may be sent to the committee email at CCC.gov and will be made a part of the record and available to all counselors.

We have gotten considerable amount of public testimony already.

It's all in this blue binder.

So please feel free to continue to send those to that email.

Public testimony will be taken at the end of this hearing.

Individuals will be called on in the order in which they signed up, and we'll have two minutes to testify.

If you're interested in testifying in person, please add your name to the sign-up sheet near the entrance of the chamber.

If you're looking to testify virtually, please email our central staff liaison at Megan at M E A-G-A-N.

C-O-R-U-G-E-D O M-A-R-T-I-N at Boston.gov for the link, and in your name will be added to the list.

Today's hearing is on docket 1414 in ordinance amending chapter 16 of the city code ordinances prohibiting the sale and use of synthetic.

I need help on this one.

Yeah.

Does anybody know that?

And seven hydro hydroxy.

Hydroxy metagene.

Love it.

Seven-oH and other dangerous chemical compounds.

I should have practiced that beforehand.

This matter was sponsored by Councillor John Fitzgerald and Ed Flynn and was referred to the committee on July 22nd, 2026.

Today I'm joined by my colleagues in order of arrival, Councillor Culpepper, Councillor Flynn, and Councillor Fitzgerald.

I will now pass the floor over to Councillor Fitzgerald, who is the lead co-sponsor.

You now have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Much appreciated.

Uh and thank you, Ms.

McCann, for being here today with us as well from the administration.

Just for the opening saying, I want to say that this was something our office started looking at back in the fall, uh, and it was to ban uh the synthetic use of 70H, uh, right, which is I know there is a difference, and just want to clarify for some folks between the actual whole leaf of Kratom uh and the synthetic uh compound uh of metragenine uh and 70H uh that is sold in uh stores, gas stations, etc.

in our city as we speak.

And so um I this is focusing on the synthetic use, a ban of the synthetic use.

Um we know the governor just applied a uh a year-long ban.

I think it was on August 27th, if I'm not mistaken, um, and so we're looking to August 27th of 2027 where that would be up.

Um however, knowing that there was a ban and I understand um that there might be some legal actions being taken because that ban was on the whole leaf as well as the synthetic compound.

Um what we're trying to do here is make sure the real deadly stuff that we're seeing on the streets is the synthetic compound.

Uh very similar to K2 or SPICE, which was the synthetic marijuana that we had uh maybe a little over a decade ago, uh, and looking to follow the same footprint there or the same blueprint, if you will, um in taking actions as we did versus K2 and SPICE.

So I still wanted to have this because I think uh knowing with some legal action happening at the state, we're not sure how that affects municipalities that have a similar uh law already on the books or are about to put one in, as the city of Boston hopes to.

Um, and uh potentially looking at other options of maybe saying at the end of this one year ban our ordinance would go into effect.

So here to talk about um you know what what it is that we're trying to do, some of the hurdles that we have to face now, uh given an administrative approach, and then um seeing if there's a way to work it around where we can have this stuff come into place uh when other bands uh may expire.

Um and so with that I I look forward to the conversation and thank you, madam chair.

Thank you, Councillor Fitzgerald, Councillor Flint.

Thank you, Council Claudia Zapatter, and thank you for sharing this important hearing.

Thank you, Councilor Fitzgerald, as well for your leadership.

As a farmer probation officer at Suffolk Superior Court, I worked with people on probation that were dealing with substance use challenges.

And it was always my priority to get them the treatment that they needed, and to prevent people from hopefully using using illegal drugs as well.

Something I'm still committed to as an elected official, even more so.

I believe it's critical to prohibit the sale of unadulterated cratum products, especially to anyone under 21 and restrict packaging, marketing, advertising design to appeal to children.

I think we need to do everything we can to support young people, give them options of how how not to get engaged in illegal drugs and how to live a healthy life, a healthy lifestyle, whether the whether it's through sports or academics or various programs.

But I do think we have to provide some critical leadership in this city on this issue.

Right now it seems like it's unregulated, and I do think there needs to be some regulation over these products to ensure that we're providing residents with healthy and safe environments.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Counselor Culpepper.

Good afternoon, everyone.

And I want to thank Councillor Chair Collada.

It's a part of holding this hearing.

I want to thank Councillor Fitzgerald.

Bring this document forward and beginning an important conversation about how Boston should approach the regulation of Kratom.